There’s a great article posted today on Treehugger
Viva La E-Bike Revolution
I don’t like percentages. 240% of something tiny is still tiny. However, e-bikes sales have now passed road bikes in a bike market valued at $5.3 billion.
“The new and returning rider may be concerned with a range of objections to ride again – the big hill, the long ride, and keeping pace with faster riders are all relieved by pedal assist. And, once riders try an e-bike, most seem compelled by the fun of it." - I totally agree with most of this - I’m not interesting in keeping pace with the fastest rider. I have on occasion found found a small peloton following me as I zip along on my e-bike.
The article also talks about how Rad is coping with global supply chain issues. I bought a bike from them during the pandemic because it was one of the only places where I could get an e-bike at short notice. It arrived within two weeks of ordering. It did take them six months to ship the rack I wanted though, so they still have issues. A year later I bought a cargo bike which normally takes 12 weeks to build and ship but that ended up taking nearly 8 months because of a boat stuck in a canal and dockworker disputes in Quebec.
Treehugger predicted back in 2018 that
Ebike sales will eat into car sales. We would be a two car family if I hadn’t had to rethink my transport situation when covid prevented me from getting a state driving license.
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